ABOUT JIM WEATHERS

Jim Weathers is a man that enjoys seeing beautiful women in fetish clothes.

“I started in this business because at the time, I didn’t see anyone doing the type of work that I could really relate to. My interests have always been very fetish oriented, but at the time, no one was really doing a good job of bringing that out to the public. That was really what I brought to the table. The high-quality fetishwear, full fashioned nylons and true six inch stiletto heels are my trademark. I have a keen interest in photography and have created my own style.” Jim Weathers

Born in Michigan, USA in 1962.

“I’ve lived in Los Angeles for the last thirty years, but I spent my teenage years in England, which had a huge influence on the way I think and my general outlook on life. Although I have always considered myself an artist, photography was actually the last thing I would have expected to be doing as a living. My life long ambition was to play music. I’m an avid guitarist (started at age ten) and played in many shockingly unsuccessful rock bands during the 80’s and early 90’s. I finally came to my senses and concentrated on my day job of selling computers to corporate America. Although I was good at it, I secretly despised it. So it was really a strange twist of fate that brought me to the life that I lead now.”

“I have always been into bondage – even from a very early age – but as strange as it sounds, I’m more of a “fetish” guy than a “rope guy”. I like the outfits more than the rope work, and I love the combination of the two more than either of them on their own. I started in the fetish business when I met a man by the name of Cory Thompson online in the mid 90’s. We became online friends and then found out that we lived only twenty minutes from each other. We met one night and discussed the idea of starting a new bondage company. We started a website called ShortfuseVideo. After a few years, I parted company with Cory and started my own website,www.bondagecafe.com. I met my wife Julie in 2000. I met her through friends in New York. She became a professional make-up artist and now does all the make-up for my shoots.”

“I wasn’t trained as a photographer. It was something I had to learn. I hadn’t really picked up a camera until age thirty-five. It was a means to and end. I had a very concise vision in my head of what I wanted to create, and the only way I was going to be able to share that vision with other people, was if I could figure out how to become a good photographer. One thing you can say about me is that I’m driven and I’m a perfectionist. I am rarely satisfied. I’m always striving to take the perfect photo. I know it isn’t going to happen, but I also know that along the way, the journey is going to be full of very interesting moments. I prefer shooting with strobes over continuous lights. I use both, but I much prefer the sharpness that only an instantaneous flash can bring. I’m glad that I started shooting professionally before the advent of digital cameras. Although that is what I use now, in the beginning, I shot on film. It made me learn how to use a light meter.”

“For whatever reason, even from the very beginning, I knew my life as a photographer was going to be successful. I thought there was a huge void in the fetish world. No one was doing what I thought should be done. If I was going to have a model wear shoes, they were going to be true 6-inch stilettos. If she was going to wear stockings, they had to be fully-fashioned stockings. I wanted tight corsets and an array of sleek fetish wear. Interestingly, when I started this, these specialty clothes were not all that readily available. Now, fifteen years later, they are everywhere. I guess I was just at the right place at the right time. I love the photography of Viv Thomas, not just because he shoots legs better than anyone in the world (my opinion), but because I love his style.”

The popularity of Jim’s images has continued to rise… He was voted number one by the Signy Awards in both 2000, 2001 and 2003 for his bondage work. He has released work in Tony Mitchell’s “Sex, Take a Walk on the Wild Side” and Peter Czernich’s “Dita – Fetish Goddess” book. He also has work published in Dita’s “Burlesque and the Art of the Teese/Fetish and the Art of the Teese” book. His work has been published in magazines the likes of Skin Two, Marquis and Bizarre publications. Jim is proud to announce that his first book, published by Goliath Publishing will be released in April 2013.

“You will see a lot of classic fetish influences in my work. I’ve always been a huge fan of John Willie’s artwork, including his “Sweet Gwendoline” series. I’m also a big fan of the 60’s Batman show. I guess the sight of Yvonne Craig in that crazy sexy purple catsuit just warped my young brain. So much so, that I created my own homage to it with my “Adventures of O-girl” superheroine series.”

“I’ve been blessed to shoot some truly remarkable women. They are the real stars. I’m just lucky to have been able to photograph them.”